The Victorian seaside town of Clevedon, which is so close to Bristol holds a special place in my memories. It was here that I had my first job as a journalist on the local weekly newspaper, the South Avon Mercury. At that time, the pier structure had collapsed into the sea, and we regularly wrote stories on fundraising efforts to rebuild it. And now it has become a top location for Hollywood films and pop videos.
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John Betjeman favourite
It was back in October 1970, when the seventh set of legs collapsed after a routine insurance load test. Two of the pier spans fell into the water, leaving the pagoda at the end of the pier standing alone in the sea.
For over ten years, the future of the pier, described by Sir John Betjeman as, ‘the most beautiful pier in England’, was literally touch and go.
Saved by the community
Local people were in uproar when the council obtained a court order for the demolition of the pier in 1974. There was a public inquiry, and happily, the council plans were overturned, and the pier was saved. However, now local people had to raise millions to restore the pier structure. Skittles evenings, beach BBQs, and even collecting silver paper for recycling – all contributed to the restoration fund. Then a significant boost came with a grant from English Heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
It wasn’t until 1985 that enough money was raised to dismantle the wrought iron structure, and take it to Portishead dock for restoration. It took many years to rebuild it in situ, ready for a grand reopening in May 1998. Clevedon Pier has now been classified as a Grade 1 Listed Building. It is an iconic place to visit, with a wooden deck, a glass walled restaurant, and incredible views of the Bristol Channel across to South Wales.
Pop fame
The pier has always been a favourite tourist destination, however, it became an icon for a new generation of music lovers, with One Direction filming their video for ‘You and I’ there.
And this isn’t Clevedon’s only claim to fame. It’s also been a location for Hollywood blockbusters, including the final scene of The Remains of the Day, with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. And scenes from Never Let Me Go, with Keira Knightley.
Remembering Victorian poets
Back in Victorian times, the peace and tranquility of the town was admired by writers, including Tennyson, and Samuel Coleridge, who spent time in a cottage in Clevedon, after his marriage to Sara Fricker. William Makepeace Thackeray was also a regular visitor, staying at Clevedon Court. Poets’ Walk is a footpath round Wain’s Hill and Church Hill to the south-west of the seafront, which follows in the footsteps of these poets. The upper town contains many other footpaths through parks and wooded areas laid out in the 19th century.
Swimming past and present
Walking along the seafront takes you past ornamental gardens, a Victorian bandstand, a bowling green, and crazy golf, to the Marine Lake, a seawater fed tidal pool. The wild swimming outfits of today’s swimmers is reminiscent of the Victorian bathers, who appeared in their costumes from bathing machines set up along the beach.
After strolling back along the promenade, a short walk up from the seafront you’ll find Hill Road, with its quirky selection of independent shops and restaurants.
Making history in science
Clevedon has another claim to fame, as the place where the first large-scale production of penicillin took place in 1938, at the Medical Research Council’s Antibiotic Research Station in the town, enabling mass production of the mould for a medicine injected into World War II soldiers suffering from infections.
And the beach has been designated as the Clevedon Shore Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, due to rare minerals including pink baryte being found in the low rocky cliffs.
Another place to visit is Clevedon Court, up on the hill close to the Bristol road. It is one of the few remaining 14th-century manorial halls in England, built by Sir John de Clevedon in about 1322, and now belongs to the National Trust.
